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Proposal Text
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Shall the Charter Township of Emmett, Calhoun County, Michigan replace the Special Assessment District created on May 13, 2010, with an ad valorem tax levy of 1.5 mills ($1.50 per $1,000 taxable value) assessed against all real property in the Township for ten years beginning 2011 through 2020 inclusive for the furnishing of police and fire protection, and purchasing and equipment, and for the operation of the same, which 1.5 mills if approved, will raise an estimated $499,495.00 in the first year the millage is levied, with all such revenue disbursed to the Charter Township of Emmett?
Statement of Reason: Supervisor Adkins is not responsive to the will and opinions of the Township electorate. He denied residents the right to vote on a millage question. At the March 16, 2010 Township Board meeting, Supervisor Adkins voted no on a motion to put a Public Safety millage proposal on the ballot, and he voted yes to create a Special Assessment District that does not require voter approval. At that meeting, he said 'if we are going to do a Special Assessment anyway then why let the residents think they are making the final decision'. Justification of Conduct in Office: Due to our clerical error, the expiration of our Public Safety millage occurred before time permitted a vote to be taken to restore that lost money. This left us with two legal options. Law requires a balanced budget. The loss of that millage resulted in a shortfall which led us to either cut Public Safety staffing immediately, or create a special assessment district to fund the lost money from the expired millage. Waiting for a vote later in the year was not an option that the state allowed. One of the above options had to occur; therefore, I cast my vote in the interest of the safety for all of our residents and their property. I had a difficult decision when asking myself, what is the value of a person’s life or their property? It is very troublesome to know that I could be held responsible for the loss of one of your loved ones simply to save the very few dollars that the special assessment district charged. I served 28 years as an officer in our township, risking my own life as I devoted myself to your safety. Accordingly, I truly value your life and property. Shall R. Gene Adkins be recalled from the office of Emmett Charter Township Supervisor?
Statement of Reason: Treasurer Terri Bays is not responsive to the will and opinions of the Township electorate. She denied residents the right to vote on a millage question. Treasurer Bays put the interest of the public safety employees ahead of her obligations to the residents. At the March 16, 2010 Township Board meeting, Treasurer Bays voted no on a motion to put a Public Safety millage proposal on the ballot, and she voted yes to create a Special Assessment District that does not require voter approval. Justification of Conduct in Office: The safety of the residents of Emmett Township is very important to me. That is why I voted for the Special Assessment for Public Safety Operating. The millage for Public Safety Operating expired, and without the Special Assessment, seven Public Safety officers would have been laid off. This would have left one cross-trained officer (police, fire and medical first responder), on the road to protect our entire Township of 12,000 residents. One officer on the road will not keep our families safe. Shall Theresa L. Bays be recalled from the office of Emmett Charter Township Treasurer?
Statement of Reason: Trustee Andy Sims is not responsive to the will and opinions of the Township electorate. He denied residents the right to vote on a millage question. Trustee Sims put the interest of the public safety employees ahead of his obligations to the residents. At the March 16, 2010 Township Board meeting, Trustee Sims voted no on a motion to put a Public Safety millage proposal on the ballot, and he voted yes to create a Special Assessment District that does not require voter approval. Justification of Conduct in Office: I was elected to act in the best interest of the township. I voted for a special assessment, which avoided the layoffs of 7 to 10 employees and the decimation of our Police and Fire Department. With a 7 month time frame before a voting opportunity was available, I knew that the elimination of Police and Fire service during that time period was not in the best interest of our 12,000+ township residents. I would have preferred that this issue have been put on the ballot, however, due to the urgency of the situation, I did not feel we could wait 7 months. This had nothing to do with denying anyone the right to vote, but rather to continue an existing millage that was due to expire, due to an error from our Clerk’s office. My actions were completely legal and within the laws of our State. Shall Alexander Sims be recalled from the office of Emmett Charter Township Trustee?
Shall Homer Community School District, Calhoun, Jackson, Hillsdale and Branch Counties, Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Eighteen Million Dollars ($18,000,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, for the purpose of: erecting, furnishing and equipping an addition to and partially remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping the school building, in part for security purposes; acquiring, installing and equipping educational technology for the school building, including the new addition; constructing, equipping, developing and improving play fields and playgrounds; and developing and improving parking areas and the site? The following is for informational purposes only: The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2011, under current law, is 2.63 mills ($2.63 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation). The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of any refunding, is thirty (30) years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 5.91 mills ($5.91 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation). If the school district borrows from the State to pay debt service on the bonds, the school district may be required to continue to levy mills beyond the term of the bonds to repay the State. (Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for repair or maintenance costs, teacher, administrator or employee salaries, or other operating expenses.)
